2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California
13
Ranked Colleges
1,136
Degrees Awarded
$11,200
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Chemical Engineering is the 70th most popular major in the country with 12,917 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, chemical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $65,870 and had an average of $23,285 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,136 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,086 and $17,925 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent chemical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 65 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,581 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Stanford University Chemical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 175 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $9,999 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 119 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 120 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Davis has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $11,598 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Davis
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 130 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,176 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full University of California - San Diego Chemical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 77 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $8,449 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Irvine
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.
UCSB also took the #8 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $11,606 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara
University of Southern California landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 68 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $17,345 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at USC
California State University - Long Beach landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 74 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $7,573 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State University - Long Beach Chemical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #10, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 88 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $8,193 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UCR
With a ranking of #11, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 73 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,992 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona
San Jose State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
San Jose State also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $13,378 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at San Jose State
California Baptist University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California Baptist University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 16 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist also took the #13 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Baptist is $22,162 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Cal Baptist
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Mikulova.
